Tokyo packs a lot into a small area, and this seven-hour coach tour gives you a quick look at its biggest names. You’ll see the famous Shibuya Crossing, walk through the forested grounds of Meiji Shrine, visit Senso-ji in Asakusa, and finish high above the city at Tokyo Skytree. I like the mix of quiet…
Asakusa’s famous red gate and Senso-ji Temple are only the beginning. This private five-and-a-half-hour walk takes you to seven shrines and temples linked with the Seven Gods of Fortune, including small religious sites that many first-time visitors miss. I like the personal format, since your guide can adjust the pace and explain customs in a…
Shibamata gives you a slower, more traditional view of Tokyo, with snack shops, old-style streets, a richly carved Buddhist temple, and a garden tea break. The Taishakuten Temple carvings are the visual high point, while the Tora-san sites add a distinctly local story. I like the easy pace and the chance to taste grass dumplings,…
This Tokyo cooking class gives you something better than another restaurant meal: you make lunch yourself at ABC Cooking Studio, one of Asia’s largest culinary schools. The class is short, central, and built for beginners, with an English-speaking instructor, ingredients, an apron, and your finished meal included. I like the small maximum group of six,…
The best thing about this Mount Fuji trip is control. You get a private vehicle, an English-speaking guide and driver, and a day that can lean toward Fuji views, lakes and shrines, or Hakone’s ropeway and hot volcanic valley. Chureito Pagoda and Lake Kawaguchi are the headline photo stops, but the real advantage is choosing…
The main attraction here is the chance to see Japanese macaques bathing in a hot spring at Jigokudani, paired with the solemn beauty of Zenkoji Temple. You also get private transport, a useful advantage when Nagano’s sights are spread across the mountains and valley towns. I like the roomy, air-conditioned vehicle and the private format…
Tokyo looks different from the driver’s seat of a go-kart. This one-hour night ride takes you from the Shiba area past Tokyo Tower and through the famous streets around Shibuya Crossing, giving you a playful way to see central Tokyo under city lights. You drive on public roads, not a closed track, so the experience…
At JIDAI, the tasting is not only about what sits in your glass. You try three different sakes with the vessel chosen to suit each one, including wine glasses and KINTSUGI using 400-year-old Imari porcelain. That turns a simple drink into a small lesson in Japanese craft and taste. I like the small group of…
Mt. Fuji is the star here, but the real luxury is not having to wrestle with trains, buses, or confusing connections. You ride in a private air-conditioned vehicle from your Tokyo accommodation to Chureito Pagoda, Lake Kawaguchi, and Gotemba Premium Outlets, with time to set your own pace. I like the private schedule, especially for…
Tokyo sumo practice is the heart of this 3.5-hour morning tour. With special permission, you watch real wrestlers train from ringside at Shikoroyama-beya, where warmups and drills show the sport as hard physical work, not just a tournament spectacle. I like the rare access and Ken’s personal guidance, which helps you understand what you are…
Insider guides, cultural deep-dives and current-affairs reporting on Tokyo and Japan, written by people who live here and go to the places they write about.